Reliable predictions indicate that there will be over 300 million cellular telephone customers worldwide by the year 2000. Within the United States, cellular service is offered by cellular service providers, by the regional Bell companies, and by the national long distance operators. The enhanced competition has driven the price of cellular service down to the point where it is affordable to a large segment of the population.
The current generation of cellular phones is used primarily for voice conversations between a subscriber handset (or mobile station) and another party through the wireless network. A smaller number of mobile stations are data devices, such as personal computers (PCs) equipped with cellular/wireless modems. Because the bandwidth for a current generation mobile station is typically limited to a few tens of kilobits per second (Kbps), the applications for the current generation of mobile stations are relatively limited. However, this is expected to change in the next (or third) generation of cellular/wireless technology, sometimes referred to as “3G” wireless/cellular, where a much greater bandwidth will be available to each mobile station (i.e., 125 Kbps or greater). The higher data rates will make Internet applications for mobile stations much more common. For instance, a 3G cell phone (or a PC with a 3G cellular modem) may be used to browse web sites on the Internet, to transmit and to receive graphics, to execute streaming audio and streaming video applications, and the like. In sum, a much higher percentage of the wireless traffic handled by 3G cellular systems will be Internet protocol (IP) traffic and a lesser percentage will be traditional voice traffic.
In order to make wireless services as convenient and as affordable as possible, wireless service providers frequently sell wireless telephone handsets (or other types of mobile stations) directly to potential subscribers from display booths in supermarkets and department stores. Simple instructions are provided to guide the buyer through the process of activating the cellular handset and signing up for wireless services to become a subscriber. In conventional cellular systems, the handset buyer activates the new handset and signs up for service by dialing “*228xx” on the handset keypad in accordance with the handset instructions. The value of “xx” varies according to the identity of the wireless service provider that sells the handset. Dialing “*228xx” on the handset keypad initiates a service provisioning process that enables the handset to communicate normally with wireless networks.
Although initially unprovisioned, the new handset must, of necessity, have certain minimum radio frequency (RF) communication capabilities that enable the handset to become provisioned. Dialing “*228xx” on the handset keypad automatically initiates a special purpose call that connects the handset buyer to an operator. The operator requests certain account information from the buyer, such as personal information, a credit card number, home billing address, and the like. When the account information is collected and the account is set up, the operator instructs the handset buyer to enter several sequences of passwords, code numbers, menu selection commands, and the like, that enable certain functions in the handset.
This process is frequently referred to as “service provisioning.” Service provisioning activates in the wireless handset a Number Assignment Module (NAM), which gives the handset a unique phone number for incoming calls and provides a roaming capability by identifying approved wireless carriers. Service provisioning also activates in the handset a Preferred Roaming List (PRL), which is a list of frequencies/bands owned by each carrier in each geographical region and which may identify preferred and/or prohibited frequencies in each region as well. Finally, service provisioning activates an authentication code, sometimes referred to as an “A-key,” in the cellular handset. The handset uses the A-key to authenticate the handset when the subscriber attempts to access the wireless network.
The wireless network uses a home location register (HLR) to store the A-key, the phone number, the roaming capability information, and other data related to each handset that has been or is being authenticated and provisioned by the wireless network. The HLR is a permanent database used by the wireless service provider to identify or verify a subscriber and store individual subscriber data related to features and services. The subscriber's wireless service provider uses the HLR data when the subscriber is accessing the wireless network in the subscriber's home coverage area. Other wireless service providers also use the HLR data (typically accessed via wireline telephone networks) when the subscriber roams outside the subscriber's home coverage area.
Numerous service provisioning standards have been created to allow new wireless service subscribers to activate wireless services, including the IS-683-A protocol. The IS-683-A protocol is a TIA/EIA standard for provisioning and administering a handset over the air. The IS-683-A protocol utilizes data burst messages in a traffic channel between the mobile station handset and the base station to transmit administrative data. The data burst messages are also used to transport SMS messages. The data burst messages can also be used to transport other kinds of information such as Java bytecodes, commercial advertisements to be displayed on the wireless handset, software patches to correct errors on the handset, and the like.
Unfortunately, protocols such as IS-683-A and SMS have numerous drawbacks. These protocols do not permit roaming (i.e., the mobile station that is provisioned or administered must be in the subscriber's home network). The IS-683-A protocol also requires specific equipment and software in the wireless network for the express purpose of communicating under the IS-683-A protocol. IS-683-A protocol does not provide a capability for downloading application software nor does it allow the wireless service provider to automatically provide upgrades to a mobile station. For example, if a wireless service provider upgrades its network base stations from radio link protocol 3 (RLP3) to radio link protocol 4 (RLP4) in order to support higher data rates, the IS-683-A protocol does not permit the wireless service provider to download software over the air that upgrades the mobile station to RLP4.
It would be preferable to automate the service provisioning process and the upgrading and administering of handsets to the greatest extent possible in order to reduce labor costs, to eliminate errors, and to make the process more user-friendly by minimizing or eliminating subscriber interaction. In particular, it would be far more convenient to perform over-the-air (OTA) cellular service provisioning, handset upgrading and handset administering by accessing a provisioning server via an Internet connection. In such a scenario, the handset does not place a voice call to an operator, but rather places a “data call” that transmits Internet protocol (IP) packets to, and receives IP packets from, a base station of the wireless network.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for improved systems and methods for performing automatic service provisioning, upgrading and administering of wireless handsets (and other types of mobile stations). In particular, there is a need in the art for systems and methods for performing secure over-the-air provisioning and upgrading of wireless devices. More particularly, there is a need for systems and methods that are capable of performing secure over-the-air provisioning and upgrading of wireless devices even when the subscriber is roaming outside the subscriber's home network.